Slayers: Chaos
by Ichnsncheecals
Summary: Chap 7 is up. Note that Chap 8 is half way done, and thats its a biggie, so hold on ; )
1. Prologue

Body

Slayers: Chaos, Prologue 

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Disclaimer: First off....whoo hooo! I'm _back_, baby, yea! Sorry...I've been busy with college and other stuff, so I haven't really had much time writing...I also got a job...so I'm not writing as much as I would like....I _will_ write more over the Summer though, so don't worry!...anyway..on to the ''fun'' stuff... I do _not_ own the Slayers characters in any way, shape or form. However, I do own the following characters, so if you steal them, be prepared for a very angry british person ^_^ well, here goes...Calth Htlac, Karn the God of Blood/Chaos, Pyzinn Maul, Holly Mistwinder, Dvinn Reala, Jeana Mallone, and Mau'rau are all my creations...I got a copyright on em...really! Anyway, here goes the story! Note: This story contains graphic blood/gore, language, and sexual subject matter...you have been warned! Note(again..): this story takes place briefly after TRY...just for reference. 

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Lina mumbled under her breath. It was already shaping up to be a _bad_ day....very bad....her and Gourry had been at each others throats. He was turning into a real jerk! She didn't know _what_ was wrong with him, he was so..different... now-a-days. Maybe losing the Hikari No Ken was affecting him in some odd way. She just shrugged and walked ahead to the next town, with Gourry and Zelgadiss and Amelia in tow. 

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Calth was walking a few yards behind Lina and Co., and saw them. 

_Hrm.._he thought, _Perhaps they are Mau'rau?_

He scratched his beard and sped up his pace a little. 

_Only one way to find out...hope those gals don't have any....attachment...to the men if they aren't Mau'rau..._

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"Yea!" Lina yelped, "We're finally in the next town" 

"Great." Gourry said, "Can we eat now?" 

"Hm?....oh...sure I guess..." Lina replied. 

Gourry went into a nearby inn, and Amelia followed him a few moments later. Zel stayed behind. 

"Lina...can I have a word with you?" He asked 

"Eh?...sure thing Zel-chan!" 

Zel blushed at the ''chan'', but shrugged it off. 

"Anyway...whats the deal with you and Gourry?...you two have been fighting..er..more-so than usual, I mean..." 

Lina shrugged. 

"I honestly don't know whats wrong with him. He's just so...different now, ya know?" 

"...I think I understand...to an extent..." came Zel's reply. 

"Great!..then..can we eat?" Lina's stomach rumbled in anticipation. 

Zelgadiss laughed. 

"Sure...why not?" 

Lina smiled, turned around and bumped right into.... 

"Linaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-channnnnnnnnnnnnn!" 

Lina sweat-dropped. 

"Oh no......''she gasped. 

She looked up, and her fears were confirmed. Lavender hair. A pair of shut eyes. A big, trickster grin. Xelloss. 

"Miss me?" Xelloss said 

"No" Came Lina's quick responce. 

"Awwww..I'm hurt.." an expression of mock-sorrow was on his face. 

Lina growled and stormed past him. 

"Xelloss no baka!" 

"My my...whats up _her_ panties?" 

Lina froze at the comment. She shook with anger and whirled around to face Xelloss. 

"You!!!!" she growled. 

Xelloss went back to his trickster smile. 

"Ano, Lina-chan?" 

She simply stomped her foot and went inside. 

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Calth's forehead had a small bead of sweat on it. 

_A Mazoku?!? Here?! ...and with such power...my my...must be a general or a priest of a Dark Lord...this could prove interesting...and complicated._

Calth sighed. He hated complications. 

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Lina and company were chowing down on some...well, it _appeared_ to be food, but Gourry's taste buds were not agreeing. 

"Ugh!..you call _this _chicken?!?" Gourry said. 

Lina found herself chuckling at his comment. 

_Gah! Whats wrong with _me_?! Why am I suddenly feeling this way over Gourry?! We're friends and stuff.....but.....ah, forget it._

She shook her head and continue to eat the ''food''. 

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Calth walked into the inn, and scowled and looked about. 

_Right...they should be somewhere in here...now...where to look?_

He heard yelling, and saw various food morsels being hurled about. 

He sweat-dropped. 

_Should've known..._

He composed himself and walked over to the table. 

_Steady Calth...your a paladin...this should be easy...right?_

He arrived at the table to see a plethora of chicken bones, used napkins, half eaten corn on the cob and crunched biscuits. 

_Ugh...what sloppy eaters!_

He cleared his throat. 

"Er HEM..." 

The entire group looked up at the strange man before them. He was definitely a warrior, though. He wore a full suit of chain mail, had some sort of odd, curved blade at his side sheath, and a longer, two handed sword on his back sheath. 

_Probably a soldier lookin to recruit people..._Gourry thought. 

"Right..." he said, in a obvious British accent, "Now...you all probably think I'm some sort of soldier lookin to recruit you...well I'm not." 

The Lina gang nodded. 

"I'm here because of a mission of the utmost importance...Karn, the God of Blood and Chaos, will soon enter this dimention, and I cannot allow that to happen." he continued. 

"I seek the bravest warriors; the strongest magicians.....I hear that you are the best of the best....and frankly, I need your help...will you join me?" He looked down at the group and his eyes went wide. 

They were all looking at him like he was insane. Lina stood up. 

" 'Er hem' yourself, bucko!" she said. 

_Oh my..._ Calth thought 

Lina continued, "Listen...I don't know _where_ your from, but around here, there _is no God of Blood and Chaos!_...well...L-sama...but thats different!" 

"What are you saying?" Calth's eye twitched. 

"I'm calling you a gibbering idiot!" Lina insulted him. 

"Wow, nice insult." Zel said. 

"Yea, I'd rate it a ...uh...nine-and-a-half on the 'Lina-insult-o-meter'." Gourry said. 

_What a bunch of bloody baboons!_ Calth thought, exasperated. He was about to reply, but was surprised when someone teleported in beside him. 

"He's not lying, you know." Xelloss said. 

"Gah! Xelloss!! Get outta here!" Lina screamed, not paying attention to the amount of attention she had just gotten from the inn croud. 

Xelloss opened his eyes and looked at Lina. Lina sweat-dropped and backed shrunk away a little. 

Xelloss _never_ opened his eyes! _Ever!_

"I'm serious, Lina Inverse." He said, in an oddly evil tone, "This man is telling the truth...there is a God of Blood and Chaos....and his name is Karn....and he if he isn't stopped from being brought into our world...he will kill everyone and everything you've ever loved without even thinking twice about it. I suggest we listen very closely to him." Xelloss said. 

The entire group was wide-eyed. Xelloss....was _serious?!?_ Lina now knew that something was _definitely _up. Xelloss was never, _ever_ serious about anything...even when fighting Gaav, he was still half-way his trickster self! 

"Uhm..." came Lina's hushed reply..."...ok.." 

Calth cleared his throat again, and looked at Xelloss. 

"...thank you....Mazoku" he said. 

Xelloss' eyes shut. 

"Hey....how did you know I was a Mazoku?" 

"I sensed your aura." Calth said. 

"Oh..uhm...o..k.." Xelloss said, confused. 

Calth sighed again. 

"I'll explain later..right now, we have important matters to discuss..." 

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Boo yah! Thats it, all...first chapter done. If ya like it, tell me, and I'll write more. Oi! 


	2. Are you Ready?

Body

Slayers: Chaos 

Chapter 1: Are you ready? 

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Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers in any shape or form. I own my characters. So nyah. 

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"May I have a seat?" Calth asked the group. 

Amelia stood up, and kindly let Calth take her spot. 

"Thank you...right then.." Calth sighed and tried to compose himself. "Now...what I'm about to tell you, I want you to engrave it in your minds, because it will probably save your life. Karn is the God of Blood and Chaos...he's simply, the strongest known being in existance...the Lord of Nightmares included. Fortunately, he is not of this dimension, so he cannot be brought into exisistance easily. We know of him because an ancient race called the Mau'Rau once confronted him. The Mau'Rau were the most powerful wizards and sorcerers ever known. Karn nearly made the entire race extinct. The Mau'Rau were forced to combine all of their magic energies into one gigantic blast to send Karn back to his dimension. We still do not know how or why Karn entered our dimension, but we do know that is was somewhere on this world." 

"Wait a second..." Gourry said, " 'somewhere on _this_ world'?...does that mean your not from this planet?" 

"...yes" came Calth's reply. 

The entire group jumped at once, even Xelloss was surprised from that little bit of info. 

"I am from the planet Naggarond..its far away from here, and some of our mages teleported me to this world..thats all you need to know.." 

"I _thought_ his accent sounded funny..." Amelia said. 

Calth sweat-dropped and continued with his story. 

"Basically, we cannot allow Karn to be revived. If he is, this planet..and possibly all life...will end.." 

"Then I, Amelia wil Telsa Saillune, will defeat this Karn in the name of justice!" she yelped from the background. 

"ugh..." Calth said, "little girl...Karn would kill you in half a second..._if_ he was revived...if we destroy him while he is still dormant in his kingdom..." 

"And just _how_ do you propose we destroy him if hes in _another dimension!??_" Lina shouted. 

"Simple" Calth said, "We destroy the portal he would come through. Its not that difficult, really. Just find the place where he'll teleport in, destroy the portal when its opening, and it'll destroy him in the process." Calth said matter-of-factly, "The only problem is finding someone who is strong enough to destroy the portal...I believe that you are strong enough....so...are you willing to help?" He asked the group. 

"Question..." Lina asked, "How much we gettin paid?" 

Everyone face-faulted. Calth composed himself. 

"Uh uhm...you will be handsomely rewarded...with an all-you-can-eat buffet on Naggarond...plus I will tell the High Priest of your adventures.._he_ will reward you...once the task is done." 

"I dunno..." Lina said. 

"Lina!" Gourry said, "This is the fate of the world we're talkin about here!" his eye twitched. 

"So?" Lina replied, not caring, "not my problem this Karn guy is all mighty and stuf....but stronger than L-sama?..._that is a lie_..." 

"No" Calth said. "It's not. You can delude yourself into thinking that, but Karn would run circles around 'L-sama' if they fought...you can't even imagine how powerful he is.." he shook his head. 

"Whatever." was all that Lina said. She sighed after a moment and finally said, "Oh alright!..I'm in...thanks Gourry.." she frowned. 

"Hah! I knew you would do it!" he hugged her and she blushed a little. 

_At least we're not fighting. _Lina thought. 

Calth nodded. He looked at Zelgadiss. 

"And you?" he asked the chimera. 

Zel sighed. "Well..I have my doubts...I think I agree with Lina on the L-sama thing...but if Karn is as powerful as you say...well, I have no choice but to join...plus I'm not one to abandon my friends." 

"Good." Calth said 

He glanced at Amelia. "I don't _even_ have to ask you, do I?" 

"I will fight for jus-!" Amelia was cut off by Zel's hand over her mouth. 

"She likes to make speeches.." Zel smiled nervously and blushed. 

Calth laughed, "Very well..thats four...what about you, Mazoku?" 

"Hum?" Xelloss asked, "What?" he smiled his trickster smile "Did I miss something?" 

Everyone, again, facefaulted. 

He laughed. "Of course I'm going to join! I can't leave behind my Lina-chan, now can I?" 

Lina fumed, "_YOUR_ Lina-chan?!?" she screamed, "I'm no ones Lina-chan!" 

Gourry frowned a little, but not noticeably. 

While Lina was beating Xelloss into a pulp, Calth talked to the other members of the team. 

"Good...this should be enough to destroy the portal..." he said. 

Once Lina was done beating Xelloss, Calth asked the group, "Well...are we ready?" 

"Sure!" Amelia piped in. 

"Alright...lets go." Zel said. 

"Lets get this guy!" Gourry chirped in. 

"Ugh..all these 'good' emotions..." Xell moaned 

"Lets do this quickly..so I can get fed!" 

And with that, the rag-tag party was off on the adventure of their lifetimes....but they didn't know how horrifying their experiance would really be... 

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Oi! Thats all for this chapter, be sure to review! oi! 


	3. What if?...

Body

Slayers: Chaos 

Chapter 2: What If?... 

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Slayers characters. I own the following characters: Calth Htlac, Karn the God of Blood/Chaos, Pyzinn Maul, Holly Mistwinder, Dvinn Reala, Jeana Mallone, and Mau'rau are mine. This story has graphic blood/gore, language, and sexual content. If your a minor, get the bloody hell outta here! You've been warned...oh yes...happy 4'th of July, and let the beer flow freely. ^_^ 

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The group had been walking for nearly five hours straight. They were all moaning in discomfort, with the exception of Gourry and Zel. Xell floated over the ground with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. Lina suddenly stopped and knocked her own head. 

"Guh! I'm such a blonde sometimes...er...no offence, Gourry.." she extended one hand above her for a second. 

"Levitate!" she slowly began to lift off the ground, along with the rest of the group. 

"Smart move, Lina." Gourry said. 

"Why, thank you!" Lina said cheefully. 

Zel chuckled softly. 

_At least their not fighting anymore_

Calth looked over one shoulder as everyone beamed happy smiles at Lina. 

"Hmf..you think levitating is special?" he said, unimpressed. 

"Well, I could fly us somewhere..." Lina shrugged. 

"Or you could just do it this way..." Calth said. In a split second he was gone, he simply phased out of existance. 

Everyone went wide eyed...with the exception of Xell, of course. 

"Hmm...teleportation....big whupp..." Xelloss said, unimpressed himself, this time. 

Calth suddenly appeared in front of Xell. 

Xelloss fell back from his sitting/levitating position. 

"Imprssed _now_, Mazoku?" Calth said with a smirk. 

"H-h-how did you _do _that?!" Lina said. She was staring at at Calth. He was upside down in mid-air..even _she _couldn't do that! 

"You...didn't even say a spell!" she said, again. 

"I don't need to. I use magic, yes, but most of my techniques are moves I learned from training...and if you think _this_ is impressive...wellll...I'll show you something.." 

He drew his short, curved blade from his side holster. Everyone tensed noticeably. 

"Peace..." Calth said, "I'm not going to hurt you.." 

He extended his arm with the sword in it. 

"This..." he said, "is a Short Sword of the Nem-Ank...a powerfull weapon that only paladins can wield..it gives us...quite an amazing ability.." he smirked. 

He raised the sword above his head. 

"Tra zuol o' nem-anko's!" he yelled. The sword began to glow a bright, white light, and Calth began to...change. His eyes turned from their normal grey, to a deep sea green, his brown hair spiked up, and flashed golden for a brief moment, an ethereal golden glow surrounded him...he gritted his teeth and his eyes flashed green, again...and stayed they're new color. His hair spiked up and did not go down, and retained its yellow-ish color, and his muscles bulged, and the golden glow enveloped him. A large explosion of powerful energy erupted from him and his yell of primal fury echoed in everyone's ears. When the dust settled, Lina looked at where he was standing. And her jaw dropped. 

What she witnessed before her was something unlike she had ever seen. A new step in human evolution, perhaps? No. Calth was not from this world. He said so himself. If not...what then in L-sama's name had he _done_? He was standing with spiked golden hair, and green eyes. His muscles were at least double they're original size. The golden glow was rising upward around him..and...engulfed him, it seemed. The glow also caused dust to fly up in the air...(rip off of DragonBall Z! : P) 

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Calth. He simply smiled at them, and in a brief second, he went back to his ''normal'' self. 

He chuckled. "Simple, really...any fully fledged paladin can do it...it was simply channeling magical engery through the sword.." he raised the once again, non-glowing curved blade, "and willing it into myself. I transformed...from a normal human..to an extremely powerful warrior." 

"So..." Lina said after a long pause, and in a small voice, "...you can..._will_ magic power into _yourself?!_" 

Calth nodded. 

"Thats crazy!" Lina said, "how are you able to _do_ that!?!" 

Calth laughed out loud. 

"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said with a smirk. 

Everyone face faulted right into the ground. 

"Gah! Stop stealing my quotes!" Xell fumed. 

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It had been a few hours after the group had witnessed Calth's...transformation. Everyone was still having a hard time accepting it....it was madness...the amount of magic energy Lina had felt coming from that man..how could anyone have that much strength? Even when fighting pieces of Shabby...she couldn't feel that much power...it was just madness. She simply sighed and walked over to her bed roll when she bumped into a familiar body... 

"Mmp!" Lina and the body said.. 

Lina fell on her backside, and the body caught its balance before it fell. 

"Hey! Why don't ya watch where yer goin!?" Lina said, now in a bad mood. 

"Oh my...I'm so sorry..." a familiar voice said.."...wait a moment.....Lina?" the familiar voice said again. 

"Yea...thats my name...wait a second..." Lina jumped up and moved forward to see the familiar voice. She smiled happily when she realized who it was. 

"Filia-san!" she said. 

"Lina-san!" Filia said, hugging Lina. Lina returned the embrace. 

"Filia...what are you doing _here_? In the middle of no-where? What about Garvos and Jilias?...and baby Val!" 

Filia chuckled. "I felt your magic energy...your not all that far from the town that my shop is in ....soooo..I thought I'd stop by!...I also felt a tremendous amount of magic energy released about three hours ago...scared the day lights out of me..." 

Lina sighed. "Yea...that was one of our guys...a new person actually..." 

"Oh!" Filia said happily, "your traveling again! How wonderful! And with a new person? Even better!.." Filia was about to say something else, but Lina cut her off. 

"And Xelloss is here to..." she slumped 

"What?!? That NAMAGOMI?!" Filia screamed. 

Lina winced. Obviously no love lost between those two. 

Filia's tail popped out of her skirt. 

"Whats _he_ doing here?.." she scowled. 

"He's actually helping us with a new mission...Filia..I think you better come back to camp..." Lina said. 

Filia moved uncomfortably. 

"...alright..." she said... 

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Lina strolled over to the campfire where everyone was. 

"Uhm...everyone...there is someone here who would like to say hiiii..." Lina chirped. 

Filia stepped behind her. 

"Hi! How is everyone doing?" she said. 

Amelia's jaw dropped. 

"Filia-chan!" she said, pouncing on the dragon priestess. 

"Aie!" Filia yelped. She then giggled and hugged the girl. "I missed you to, Amelia." 

Xelloss' eyes widened a little. 

"Well well..if it isn't Fi-chan...how goes it, my lil dragon princess?" Xelloss said with his smile. 

Filia growled and glared at Xelloss. 

"Don't call me 'Fi-chan'..." she said, "And I'm not _your _Dragon, either!" 

"Just making conversation, Filia!" Xelloss said, with an even bigger grin, "No need to show everyone those nice, long legs of yours by whipping out Mace-sama and bea-" Xelloss didn't have time to finish before an extremely heavy object bonked his noggin. Mace-sama, of course. 

Everyone sweat-dropped. Filia blushed when she realized she had done exactly what Xelloss had wanted. 

She growled low in her throat, "Baka....nama....gomi.." 

Xelloss smiled up at her, "Gomen nasai, Fi-chan! Its just so much fun to annoy you!" 

Calth cleared his throat. 

"Excuse me if I missed something...but what the bloody hell is going on here?" he grumbled. 

Filia looked his way and smiled sweetly and blushed a little. He was handsome..._very_ handsome. 

"I'm sorry..." she said, "but my name is Filia Ul Copt...and I'm a Gold Dragon...the last, in fact..." she looked at the ground with a sad look at bringing up the subject again, "but...what is your name?" 

"Oh yea! We didn't even get your name, Mr...?" 

"Calth...Calth Htlac..no mister, by the way..." He said. 

Filia sighed and whispered softly, making sure that no one could hear her, "Such a handsome name..." 

"Eh?" Lina said, "did you say somethin, Filia?" 

"Nothing at all!" Filia blushed. 

Calth chuckled and looked at Filia. 

"And thank you for the compliment, young lady." 

Filia blushed so that everyone could see. 

"You mean..you...heard?" 

Calth chuckled again, "Yes, I did..I have very good hearing, even for a paladin.." 

"Pala-what?" Filia asked. 

"Filia...I think you better sit down..." Lina said. 

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Calth had just got done explaining his story to Filia. 

It took a few beats before she gasped in some air...she was very surprised...even horrified at what Karn was. 

"Goodness...how horrible..." she said. "And...your mission is to destroy this portal, so he cannot come into this world?" 

Calth nodded. 

"And...in fact..since your a gold dragon...doesn't that mean your have magic abilities?" 

Filia nodded, "Strong ones, in fact." 

"Then you would be a grand asset...will you join us?" Calth asked. 

"I...don't know..I have the shop to run...and...something else...I just don't know.." she said. 

Calth frowned. "Well..if you must attend to other things...then so be it..." 

"No! Don't get me wrong, Mr. Calth...I _do_ want to help you..I just..." Filia sighed. "Lina....do you think Garvos and Jilias can take care of...the other thing?" 

"Hm..oh...I'm sure they can handle it.." she replied. 

Filia thought for a second. She then sighed loudly. 

"Well...ok..I suppose...this is the fate of the world..." 

"Splendid!" Calth said. "By tomorrow, we should arrive at the portal opening...then we can end this, and all should be well!" 

Cheers went around the camp, with the exception of Filia, who sat and thought for a second before asking a question. 

"Uhm...Mr...uh..Calth..." she said. 

"Hm?" he replied. 

"...What if...Karn _does_ enter this world?" she asked. The cheering stopped. All eyes turned upon Calth. 

"Yea...what exactly _does_ happen if Karn enters this world?" 

Calth sighed. "It would simply be the end of this world...all life would cease to exist within a week if Karn enters this realm..I cannot allow that to happen..." 

Everyone was silent. Calth then said, "Come on then...no need to be somber..remember..we're going to destroy him before he even has a chance to enter this world...right?" 

"Right!" Gourry said, happily. 

Calth smiled. "Then lets get some sleep." 

Nods of approval went around the camp. Calth got out his bundle and quickly fell asleep when he took his swords off. Lina found a spot by a tree and called Gourry over. He went over to her with a confused look on his face, and before he could object, she drug him down, and laid her head on his chest, softly asleep a few moments later. Gourry wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep soon there after. Amelia snuggled into Zel's arms while the chimera objected quietly with a blush on his face. She was already asleep before he could really object. Xelloss teleported up into a tree, above Lina and Gourry, of course, and rested his head on the trunk. Filia was the only one left. She glanced around at the other ''couples'' and lowered her head. Now she remembered why she hated traveling with them...even though they were her best friends. She was alone. She didn't have a signifigant other in her life. Tears welled up as she curled up by the fire, but she did not shed them. She whimpered a little, but not so as anyone could hear them..or so she thought. 

Xelloss gazed down at the figure below him. His eyes opened and actually...appeared to soften at Filia's body. 

_Poor Fi-chan..._ he thought. _Maybe I should try to comfort her...of course, she'd just bash me over the head for talking to her...eh well...I might wake everyone up in the process_. He smiled at the thought. He teleported down behind Filia, and wrapped his arms around her. She jolted. 

"huh?!" she said quietly, but still alarmed. 

"I could hear you whimpering up in my tree...something wrong, Filia?" Xelloss said. 

She tensed when she realized who had his arms around her. 

"Xelloss!? What are you doing, namagomi!" she hissed at him, quietly. 

"Why..comforting you, of course...now...whats wrong?" he said with his trademark smirk. 

"Absolutely nothing." she scoffed. 

"Your a horrible liar, Fi-chan..." he said. 

"Gah....what do you care, bastard namagomi?.." she replied with a sad look in her eyes. 

"Cause I don't want to see you depressed....most Mazoku can feed off the negative emotions people give...but your...different..don't ask, you just are.." he said quietly. 

"...oh..." Filia said. 

"Now..." Xelloss said, tightening his grip around Filia's waist and moving a little closer, "tell me whats wrong?" 

She blushed at him being so close, but decided to tell him.. 

"Truthfully..." she sighed and closed her eyes, "I feel so alone...I mean I have Garvos and Jilias and baby Val....but...what about that...special someone...someone to hold you when your down...someone to dry your tears...someone to laugh with...look at all them.." she motioned toward everyone else, "They have each other...what do I have? Nothing...absolutely...nothing..." she choked out the last words as tears came forth. 

Xelloss turned her over and let her cry in his cloak. 

"Thats...not true....Filia..." he said. 

"what do you mean?.." she squeaked, still crying. 

"I mean...you have me...I know..I'm a 'bastard namagomi'...but isn't having at least me better than _really_ being alone?...I know how that feels....its...not fun...." he said quietly. 

Filia remained silent...She had..Xelloss?...of course...she finally figured it out... 

She smiled slightly and blinked back her tears. 

"X-x-xelloss...." she said, "Thank you...I..I..don't know what to say..." she said. 

"Don't say anything..." he said..."Just stay here...I'm always going to be your friend, Filia..no matter how much we fight...deep down..I'm here for you..." 

With that, she fell asleep in the arms of someone of her own. 

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Touching, isn't it? Now...whats gonna happen next? Well...we'll see, of course! If you review, that is! ; ) Ja ne! oi! 


	4. Beautiful

Body

Slayers: Chaos 

Beautiful 

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Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or any Slayers-by-products(....??). Just a little note...if any of you have been noticing a ''trend'' with all my chapter names...hats off to you...all of names of my chapters are going to be from Creed's, "Human Clay" CD. WARNING: This fanfic has graphic blood/gore, sexual content, and language. Reader discretion is advised. 

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Xelloss awoke first out of the group, as usual. He slowly opened one eye and peered down at Filia, who was softly cooing against his chest. His brain tried to make sense out of what was happening. 

_....'kay...you have _Filia_ laying on your chest...what in the name of Ruby-Eye did you _do _last night, you ignorant Mazoku!_ His mind screamed. It took him a second or so to catch up. 

_Oh yea..she was crying...you comforted her...yadda yadda...but why is she making that..that noise?..its disturbing yet soothing at the same time..._ He was referring to, of course, her cooing. 

He just shrugged lightly and slowly pried her off him, she mumbled something, but stayed asleep. 

Xelloss sighed and teleported away to his normal tree. 

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Calth awoke next. He stretched out and began to put on his normal armor. He gazed over everyone else who were still sound asleep. He scoffed. This wouldn't do at _all_. 

He stood up, cleared his throat and yelled one, dread word... 

"ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" 

Everyone immediately bolted awake. A sound of something ruffling through branches in a tree could be heard nearby before it hit the ground with a ''thunk''. 

Calth laughed aloud. 

"Morning, companions!" 

Lina scowled deeply at Calth. 

"I'll....tear...you...apart.." she grumbled. Lina _hated_ that word. 

Calth chuckled again. 

"_After_ we destroy Karn." he said, "Now...I'll go and gather some breakfast...fish sound good?" 

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Everyone ate a quiet breakfast of baked fish. It awoke the entire gang, and was surprisingly good. 

"Calth.." Lina said in-between bites, obviously forgetting their...''incident''..earlier that morn, "Where did you learn to make this?" 

"Just an old recipe from my family..I couldn't give it away...if thats what your asking.." 

"Dammit.." Lina mumbled. 

No more words were said after that. Filia glanced at Xelloss a lot, though, and whenever he looked at her, she immediately looked at her food, blushing furiously. After breakfast, the group began to set out. 

"Right.." Calth said, "Now....Karn's portal should be in these woods somehwhere...hm...everyone...be still for a moment..." he closed his eyes and stood still. 

Everyone gave him side ways glances, but otherwise remained silent and in place. Calth's eyes popped open a few moments later, and he pointed a direction. 

"...There..." he said in a low voice..."Thats where the portal is..." 

He started off in the direction he pointed, and the Lina group followed, anxious at what would happen. He stopped a few paces before a clearing. 

"..Gods and Goddess' above..." he gasped, "There...the portal to the Realm of Chaos!" He moved out the way. In front of him was a sight that was sure to give everyone nightmares for the rest of their lives... 

A shifting read portal of energy spiraled about. Inside the portal was a twisted world filled with monstrosities the likes of which no one had seen. Horrible red demons wandered about, with long, spiked, wicked-looking black swords. Undead shambled around, moaning their eternal pain and torment, seeking fresh blood and flesh to ease their suffering. Winged demons that made horrible screeching noises flew around the sickly green sky, and they shifted inhumanly whenever they landed on a spot of jagged black rock. It was a nightmare. It was..Hell... 

Everyone just stood wide-eyed and shaking in pure fear at the sight before them for a long period of time. The only ones not shaking in fright were Xelloss and Calth. Calth sweated and Xelloss simply stared. He made a noise..it sounded like...a whimper? Was Xelloss, the Mazoku, _afraid_? Calth swallowed and said, 

"Right! Now! Concentrate your energy toward the center, we'll destroy from the inside out! Hurry, or Karn will find the entrance!" He drew his sword....the Nem-Ank...and white light once again engulfed it and he transformed again. Everyone whipped around with wide eyes. 

"What are you waiting for!" Calth yelled, "ATTACK!!!" he extended his hands and a yellow beam of pure magic energy flew from it. It was insanely strong, and he hadn't even uttered a spell. It hit the portal, and the red shifting thing begain to whirl about. 

"Come on! Attack! Now!" Calth yelled again. 

Xell was the first to come to. He started to cast a spell... 

_"Wind, crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand! DIGU VOLT!"_

He sent the spell sailing toward the portal and it to, caused it to whirl about...more so this time, though. 

Zel extended his hands. 

"I don't know if this will work on a portal...but...here goes..." 

_"Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the Infinite...RA-TILT!"_

The blue-white light enveloped the portal, and it began to stretch out of proportion for a split second before it extended three fold. The spells were all dispelled in the process 

Lina blinked. 

"W-w-what?" she stuttered. 

"Oh no..." Calth gasped. 

A hand seeped out of the portal. And soon thereafter, a head with a wicked red helm and large horns sticking up from it. A torso then seeped out of the portal, and it had a red breastplate with a golden pentagram in the center, with large, long hooked chains from the sides. Two muscled legs with the veins sticking out came forth, and they to, had red armor that looked metallic. The arms were very well muscled, and they bulged forth, blue veins sticking out from them. The being hovered above them. It raised its head and they saw that the helm had an arc like mouth-plate that smoke...slowly poured from. A pair of bright red eyes were in the sockets of the helm. No pupils could be seen. Just pure, blood red eyes. The being was human, in appearance, besides the red armor. The being extended its arms, lifted its head, and said, in a deep, horrible, echoing voice. 

"I....live.....AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!" the sky immediately blackened. Day turned to night in an instant, and then night turned back into day. 

The being glanced down at the horrified party. 

Calth shook and gasped out, "Behold....Karn....the God of Blood and Chaos...this world...is...no more..." he shakely lowered his hands to his sides and looked at the ground, "I...have failed..." 

Karn chuckled. His chuckle was a low, deep, completely evil echo that surrounded and engulfed the party. 

"Ah...brave Paladin of Light...you were a fool to think you could have stopped me...now that I'm in this Realm...I will reduce it to nothing more than a barren wasteland..." he chuckled again. His laugh sent shivers up Lina's spine. 

"But..." he said slowly, "I believe I will have a little...fun...with _this_ world...." he chuckled again, "Ahh, yes...I will summon the Chaos army, and wage bloody war on all the races of this puny world." 

Everyone gasped out, much to Karn's delight. 

"Now...if you will excuse me...I have work to do..." he narrowed his red eyes at the party and before teleporting in a brilliant flash of red fire, said, 

"We will meet again...Lina Inverse..Gourry Gabriev...Zelgadiss Greywords... Amelia wil Telsa Saillune....Xelloss Metellium...Filia Ul Copt...and...Calth Htlac..." he laughed insanely and disappeared in an instant. He left the stunned group there to gaze at a rapidly shrinking portal. 

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Everyone shambled on to the next town with horrified expressions on they're faces. Calth look completely ashamed of himself. 

"....well..._now_ what do we do?" Lina said solemly. 

Calth stopped and thought for awhile. 

"We--..I will return to Naggarond and consult with the Premier...you must all stay here and gather the armies of the world to confront Karn...tell everyone what you know...return to your respective races and tell them...though I fear no amount of training will ready you for the oncoming war...the war with Chaos..." he said quietly. 

Everyone nodded. 

"Fare thee well.."he said, "expect me to return in a day..." with that, he teleported out of sight. 

Zel sighed. 

"Well...", he said, "You heard the man....we must return to our races and inform them of what is occuring...Xelloss....your going back to your boss, correct?" 

Xell nodded. "Yes...I will tell Ze--my master of everything that has happened." he said. 

Zel nodded, "And you Filia?" he said. 

"I'm...going back to the Dragon lands, of course..." she said, "I will tell the Fire-Dragon King what happened..." 

"Alright.." Gourry said, "I'm going with Lina...I suppose you and Amelia are comin to, Zel?" he looked at Zelgadiss. 

Zel nodded. 

"Of course, Gourry." Amelia said, still a little shaken. 

"Ok.." Lina said, "Lets go, guys..we have work to do.." she said quietly. 

With that, the band of adventurers parted ways, not knowing if they would see each other alive again...with the exception of one... 

Filia saw Xelloss teleport away...and she homed in on his specific magic signal, and followed him..she didn't know _why_ she was doing this...but she did anyway...she would tell the Fire-Dragon King that later..she had to tell Xelloss something _now_...otherwise, she might not get the chance again... 

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Oh HO! What could this new installment be? Well..if you wanna find out...go ahead and rate and tell me write more! Ja for now! Oi! 


	5. Say I

Slayers: Chaos 

Say I 

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Disclaimer: Blah blah blah..I don't own the Slayers..you get the idea..and sorry for the LONG LONG delay in the story...I've been..away for quite awhile ^_^" 

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Calth hurried along the long winding corridor. It took him merely seconds to arrive on Naggarond, and when he returned he felt not as homesick as he used to. He glanced at the many royal guards, all clad in the standard-issue Blackened-Iron mail that the Royal Guard issued. All somber and straightforward in their duties. He sighed and walked up to the large dark red metal doors that concealed the Great Hall. Quickly composing himself, he asked the guard standing next to the door to tell the Premier he had returned with grave and dire news. 

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Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zel all walked quietly into the next town. It was a small, rural town that had a simple tavern that offered a simple nights rest. They all plopped down in a small booth to the side to discuss what they were going to do. 

"Ok guys...how in L-sama's name are we gonna figure this mess out?" Lina whispered. 

Everyone stared at the table. 

"...well?!" Lina hissed, getting annoyed. 

Zel finally spoke up. 

"We could try and take this to the King...wouldn't your father help, Amelia?" he asked. 

"I'm sure he would try. After seeing what we saw today-he'll flip once we tell him the story." she said grimly. 

Zel nodded. 

"Ok then.We're off to see Amelia's father.......Gourry...whats wrong?" he asked, a tad bit concerned that Gourry wasn't his usual chipper self. 

"...nothin..." he said. 

Lina wrapped her arms around her long time friend. 

"Something is wrong...tell me about it?" she pleaded. 

Gourry didn't blush..or even seem to notice...that Lina had him in an embrace. He just closed his eyes and said, 

"When I saw Karn...I froze...I panicked..I couldn't do anything. It was like..my arms were frozen to my sides, ya know?" he looked over at Lina. She nodded with a sympathetic look in her eyes. 

"But Gourry..." Zel said, "we were _all_ frozen with fear. I think even Xelloss was afraid, and he's a Mazoku!" 

"Yea, your right..." Gourry slumped, "but I still feel worthless..what if he attacked us? What then?.." 

Lina looked down and slowly removed her arms from around Gourry. 

"Lets not think about that..ok?" she said, her voice shaking a little. 

Gourry nodded slowly. The gang had a quick, silent lunch, and started off towards their destination. 

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Xelloss appeared outside Zelas' den, not noticing that he had a tag-along hiding in the bushes. He walked inside with a small sigh. 

_So..this is where his blasted 'Dark-Lord' is, huh? _Filia thought. She slowly crept after him, curiosity getting the best of her. 

Xelloss traveled deep within a cave till he got to a large column of stone, and in the center was a tall, slender woman, sitting on a black throne of stone. He kneeled down when her lovely gaze looked on his form. 

"Ah...hello, Xelloss. I missed you." she cooed softly. 

"Yes...I have ill tidings, master." he said somberly. 

"What? What ill tidings, my dear Priest?" she asked. 

Xelloss quickly and precisely explained the goings-on. Meeting Calth. Finding the portal to The Realm of Chaos. And the horrible releasing of Karn. Zelas nearly slipped off her throne. 

"A new 'God', eh?" she asked, with a questioning tone in her voice. She then threw back her head and laughed aloud. 

"My dear Xelloss...I think you have been spending _far_ too much time with mere humans." 

Xelloss' brow twitched. He was visibly upset. Zelas' expression changed from humor, to that of one who has just hurt someone they love. 

"Your...telling the truth..aren't you?" she said, taken aback. 

Xelloss nodded slowly. The entire time, Filia had been watching from afar, hidden behind a small pillar of black rock. Her eyes twitched. 

_The Beastmaster?!_ she thought. _He is the Priest of the Beastmaster?!_

"Master..." Xelloss said slowly, "I take it you will tell all the Dark Lords?" 

"Wha-oh yes...of course.." she said, softly. She then leaned back into her throne and seemed to think deeply for a few moments. Xelloss was kneeling the entire time. 

"....Xell.." Zelas said 

Xelloss jumped a little. Zelas had never called him by his ''nick-name'' before. 

"Y-yes?" he asked, shakily. 

"Do me a favor..." she asked. 

"Of course. Anything." he quickly replied. 

"I want you to...get with...that little Gold-Dragon Priestess for me...what did you say her name was?" 

"Filia." he again, replied quickly. 

"Ahh...yes...get with her." 

"...get with her?" Xelloss asked. 

"Yes..._get_ with her...got it?" she accented the word ''get'' with a sort of undertone that Xelloss did not quite understand yet. 

"Of course...get with her...I understand." Xelloss said. 

Zelas chuckled. He didn't understand, or at least he didn't want to. She knew, though. She knew that the Gold-Dragon Priestess, whether she wanted to admit it or not, had some heavy heavy feelings for her little Mazoku. One thing was obvious though. He still had a lot of growing up to do. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Filia's mind was a torrent of questions. What in the world was Zelas _talking_ about? Why did she want Xelloss to ''get'' with her? She didn't want to get with that filthy namagomi. The very idea of him kissing her... 

She felt her face start to get hot. She realized she was blushing furiously. 

_Gah! Why am I acting so strange? Must be my 'time'..._

She composed herself a moment and dismissed her rather..new...feelings as nothing more than ''that time of the month''. She looked over to her side and gasped. She saw a pair of blinked eyes looking straight at her with a large goofy smile attached to it. 

"X-x-xell..xello.." was all she could stammer out. 

"Why helloooo Fi-chan...what are _you _doing here? Hn?" he asked, poking her nose with one of his index fingers. 

She tried to answer, but again, all that came out was a lot of stammering. 

"Well, if you've been spying on me..." Xelloss started, "I'll just have to kill you." he stated with a simple sigh at the end. 

Filia gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. Surely he wouldn't... 

Xelloss laughed, and leaned forward and lightly kissed the tip of her nose. 

"My precious dragon...I wouldn't even think of it." he started to slowly walk off, but turned again and added softly, in an almost gentle whisper... 

"..ever..." 

Filia shivered slightly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The valley was an almost perfect site. There was a small town near the northwest side, whose inhabitants would make a small, first wave of Acolytes that he could use to his advantage. The place looked much like a Mi'ak world, a large, brownish green valley that was surrounded by small outcrops of jagged rock. He glided down a small hill, stopped and observed his surroundings for a moment. With a small 'humph' he lazily rose one hand, extended a finger, and started twisting the land into a misshapen, chaotic nightmare. Perfect for a base of operations. 

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Lina, Gourry, Zel and Amelia were having quite some difficulty finding their way around. It was starting to get dark, and as none of them could see in the dark(none except for Zel, although he wouldn't readily admit another one of his inhuman abilities), they decided to settle down for the night. 

"Amelia..?" Lina asked sleepily. 

"Hm?" Amelia inquired. 

"How much longer till we get to your fathers kingdom?" 

"Well..at the rate we're traveling..I'd guess...a day? Maybe day and a half? Somewhere around there..." Amelia's usual chirpy, fun voice was filled with a sound of profound sorrow...and fear. She was _very_ visibly shaken by Karn's arrival, and tried hard not to burst into tears of pure terror when she first glanced at him. The feeling she got from him..it was just so...empty..but full of something...something _more_ than evil. Karn wanted something _more_ than what Calth had told them, and whatever it was, Amelia was sure that it would truly be a horrific thing to behold. She shivered violently in the dark at that thought, and instinctively snuggled carefully into Zel, who didn't object or flinch at her presence. 

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Xelloss slept _far_ away from Filia that night. There was more tension and uneasiness between them than usual., since what happened at his master's cave. 

_I wonder why in the name of L-sama she came?_ Xell thought. He glanced over at her sleeping form and saw how the fire lighted her face. 

_Good Lord..._ he thought as loud as he could, _....she's gorgeous... _He couldn't hide it any longer. As much as he had tried, he had felt himself going more and more towards that bitchy, blonde beautiful Gold-Dragon. 

_Heh..the three ''B's''..._ he thought with a smirk and a small chuckle. He once again glanced at her and the thought re-popped back into his head. Another one did as well. Should he go down and try to get...a little closer with her? Filia and him were barely friends..no...barely _acquaintances_. Why in the world would she let him get close to her? She had that one night, though, a few days back...why then? So many thoughts were racing through his head..he was actually starting to _think_. He was surprised his head didn't collapse...or explode..or both..implode? With _that_ interesting thought, he dismissed everything else, and drifted into sleep. 

Morning couldn't have come sooner, at least in Xelloss' opinion. He woke bright and early with the sun, all the intense thinking of last night behind him..untill he saw her. She was still asleep, laying on her side, and with Xelloss' superior hearing, he heard a soft, peaceful cooing sound coming from her. It drove him crazy inside..and outside. His normal calm expression was getting furrowed, and a small glob of sweat beaded on his forehead. He carefully wiped his brow, and teleported down to her. With shaking hands he gently nudged her awake. 

"Filia..it is time...t-to get moving again." he said. 

She made a soft moaning noise and started to rise. 

"Ok, ok, Xell...I'm up...I'm up..." she sleepily said, "so...where are we heading to?" 

"_You_..." he started, starting to get his trickster tone of voice back, "are going to your kingdom...alone." he stated firmly. 

Filia was now fully awake. 

"What? I can't go alone, Xell, they would think that I was a lunatic!" she said. Xelloss got annoyed at her calling him "Xell". But then again, he did always call her "Fi-Chan"...guess eye for an eye.. 

"Well, _I _certainly can't go." he replied, calmly. 

"And why not?" Filia asked, without thinking. 

Xelloss really got annoyed by that. 

"Filia! I'm a Mazoku! Did you forget!?" he exclaimed, almost to the point of yelling, for him anyway. 

Filia mentally smacked herself for that one. 

"No, I didn't forget...I just didn't want to be ....ostracized..." 

"Yes, well, that would be sort of bad, hn? Thrown out by your own kind...kinda rings a dim bell, eh?" Xelloss said sarcastically. He was, of course, talking about the run-in with Valgarv. 

"Just shut up, Xelloss..it hurts bringing that up, and you know it... You said we had to go...so lets go." 

Xelloss deftly turned around and started to walk the other way. 

Filia squealed and firmly attached herself to his waist. 

"I'm not leaving here without you!" she said, vehemently. 

Xelloss almost tripped over his own feet. What was with this girl? A few moments ago, he could have sworn that she wouldn't have cared whether he left or not, and now she was attached to his waist? 

"Filia..let go of me...now" he said firmly. 

"No..." was the soft response. 

"Filia...." he growled. 

"_No_.." again was the response. Tears came shortly after. "I'm not leaving without you, Xelloss..." 

Xelloss had had it. 

"_Filia Ui Copt!" _he screamed, "_Let go of me!"_

Xelloss' face flushed. What had he just done? He had snapped, thats what he had just done. And he had snapped at Filia. He felt the arms around his torso slowly begin to give way, and heard soft gasping sobs come from behind him. He helped the hands return to they're owner. He slowly turned around and saw Filia's face...his little Gold-Dragon's face..full of pain and sadness. Tears freely flowed down her cheeks, and dropped on the ground. Xelloss gently held one of her hands. 

"Filia...go." he said darkly. 

Without hesitation, she ripped her hand from his own, slapped him, and ran off screaming, 

"Xelloss, I _hate you!!!!_" 

Xelloss didn't flinch at her slap. He didn't move from that spot until she ran out of sight. With a small sigh he turned around and started walking the opposite direction. It was quite clear what he had to do now. He had to find that Calth fellow. A few steps from his spot, he turned around and looked in the direction Filia had ran off to..and grimly realized that she would probably never want to see him again. He started walking back in the direction away from her, and quickly wiped a single crystal-white tear that was rolling down his cheek, and flung it to the ground. When it hit, a small cadeau of blue-white flame erupted for a few moments, then flickered out. All that was left of the Mazoku's tear was a small, pathetic scorch mark on the earth. 

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Calth had just gotten finished telling his tale to the Premier, who looked deep in thought. His two guards, whom he had trained personally, were literally shaking in they're armor, and although they didn't move, the bright blue plate mail was rattling and jostling mightily. 

The Premier sighed and finally said, 

"So...Karn has been released?" he asked. 

"Yes, sir." was Calth's grim reply. 

The Premier sighed again. 

"Very well..and these adventurers you speak of...what were their names again?" 

Calth quickly remembered the names of those odd blokes he had traveled with, 

"Uhn..Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, Zelgadiss Greywords, Amelia wil Telsa Saillune, Filia Ui Copt and Xelloss..something-or-other...I can't remember his last name.." Calth replied. 

The first three sounded very familiar. In fact, the Premier knew them all...personally. Yes, personally. That was an appropriate word. 

"Very well.." he said again, "I want you to bring the first four to me...as quickly as you can...understand, Mr. Htlac?" 

"Yes, sir!" Calth exclaimed, giving the mandatory salute. 

"Anything else, Calth?" the Premier asked politely. 

"No, sir." he replied. 

"Then you are dismissed." the Premier said. When Calth began to head for the door, the Premier added, 

"Oh Calth?..." he said. 

"Yes sir?" came the response. 

"Do _not_ tell them my real name...just tell them..your 'king' wants to meet with them..ok?" he asked, again, politely. 

Calth gave him an odd look for a moment, then simply said. 

"Whatever you say, Premier Rezo." 

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End of Chapter 5. 


	6. Wrong Way

Slayers: Chaos 

Wrong Way 

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Disclaimer: Do I really have to go through with it? Bah...I don't own Slayers. Duh. WARNING: This fanfic has strong language/sexually explicit content/blood/gore. You have been warned. 

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Xelloss was walking..in a random direction. He hadn't even realised _where_ he was walking to, but he was walking there. He definitely had big regrets about what had happened with him and Filia. He looked at the ground for a long time, deep in thought. He was surprised to hear a small 'thwang' noise, and even more surprised when he saw Calth teleport in right in front of him. He squinted his eyes, cocked his head to one side, and gave him an odd look. 

"Your back already?" the dumbfounded Mazoku asked. 

"Yes." came Calth's reply, "Now..where are the rest of your people?" 

"Eh?" Xell asked, "We all split up after you left." 

"Gah, dammit.." came his frustrated reply, "Why must everthing be complicated..." he muttered. 

"Well...I guess I could help you find them. It shouldn't be that hard." Xell offered, secretly hoping he would fall for it. 

"Alright...I suppose you could be a help after all." Calth replied. 

_Hah...worked like a charm._ Xell smiled. 

"Well, then..shall we be off?" he asked, happily. 

"Right. Lets go." Calth grabbed a hold of Xelloss' arm. 

"eh-" was all that Xell had time to mutter before Calth teleported them far, far away. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lina almost fell over when she saw a silhouette of two figures appear before her. The silhouette formed into two quite familiar faces. Xelloss and Calth. 

"Hello." Calth said. 

"Wow.." a twitching eye Lina said, "That never fails to amaze me." 

"Yea, really..me neither.." Gourry replied, just as amazed. 

Calth chuckled, then turned to Xelloss. 

"Thank you for your help." he said. 

"What help? I didn't even tell you where to look! You just grabbed my arm, then..poof..here we are." he said. 

"I read your mind. I knew that you knew where to find these blokes because of your innate Mazoku powers." 

"Oh." Xelloss said. Then a thought hit him..if Calth had read his mind..had he seen what he felt for Filia? The look on Calth's face told him 'no'. Xell breathed an inner sigh of relief. 

"Alright.." Calth said, "Now that I'm here, I suppose I should tell you whats going to happen next." he said. Everyone listened intently. 

"Since Karn has been released, we know that a war will come. Widespread carnage will most certainly ensue. Hundreds of thousands of lives will be lost. But.." he started, "You can help to lower that number. You will meet with my..er em..'king' and train in the spiritual arts of Nem'Ank, and you will all become Paladins, or Wizards, in order to help during the war with Chaos. Without the proper training...you will be defenseless against Karn's magical assaults. Now, his mortal underlings are susceptible to your spells, but Karn and his higher lackeys will be all but immune to your level of magic. Do you all understand?" he finished. 

Slow nods answered his question, as everyone took in what he just said. 

"Good." he said, "Then we're off. The four of you" he pointed at Gourry, Lina, Zel and Amelia, "will come with me." 

Xell furrowed his brow angrily. 

"What about _me_?" he asked. 

"What about you?" Calth retorted. "You will stay here and train with your own kind. I'm sorry Xelloss, but since you are...uhm..less than amiable...you would almost certainly be killed on sight by our guards." 

Xell sighed loudly. 'Less than amiable'? Was that Calth's way of telling him that he was evil? He already knew that. But...he wanted to change. He wanted to change so he could be with Filia. If he was no longer evil, then he could treat Filia right...and never explode at her again the way he did yesterday. The Mazoku's own deep seeded feelings were finally starting to show through, even though he didn't exactly like it at the moment. Damn being a higher level Mazoku! Why couldn't he just go about his normal business _without_ all these confounded feelings? 

"Calth.." Xell started. "Can I please come with you? I want to...learn...more about this 'paladin' business." 

The rest of the group gave him looks of horror/confusion. 

_The hell?!_ Lina thought as loud as she could, _What is Xelloss _doing_?_

Calth looked Xelloss up and down for a moment, then said, 

"...Alright. You can come, Xelloss Metallium..but do try to.." Calth shifted uncomfortably, "_act_ good?" 

Xelloss furrowed his brow even more. 

"Whatever you say." came his simple response. 

With that, the six warriors phased out of time and space for a moment, before disappearing completely. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Filia had finally arrived in her own kingdom. She breathed deeply and inhaled the fresh air. It felt so good to be home. She had all but forgotten about her run in with Xelloss, even the encounter they had before she left. _For good.._ she reminded herself. 

She didn't go directly to her king, instead she wandered about her own lands, taking in the simple joys of life. The butterflies, the green trees and beautiful flowers that all adorned her peaceful society. But for some odd reason, she felt that this would all be gone soon. Then she remembered. Karn. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, remembering what she had returned to do. She wondered how the Fire-Dragon King would take it, considering she have given up her rank as priestess. She wondered if he would even talk to her at all. 

With those lovely thoughts spilling through her head, she marched on to the temple of the Fire-Dragon. 

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The group had arrived on a dark, dreary world. It was so different from their planet, it almost scared them. Immediately, three robed figures started towards the group. One was wearing gold, another, red, and another silver. The one in gold started to move his right hand to his face, then turned his palm outward and did a wide arc while saying, 

"Welcome home, Calth Htlac!" said a refined female voice. 

Calth repeated the gesture and replied, 

"It feels good to be home, Jeana Mallone." the two clasped hands and shook. Calth had a glint in his eyes, "My old friend." he said quietly. 

The female..Jeana Mallone...giggled softly and kissed his cheek. 

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" she said. 

"...wait a second..." Lina pipped in, "Calth said he would only be gone a _day_...so how is a _day_ a long time?" she asked matter-of-factly. 

"Because, Lina." Calth started, "One day of Earth time are six months of Naggarond time..don't try to understand the physics of it. The cosmos work in odd ways." 

Lina had a dumbfounded look on her face. 

"...quite.." she said quietly. Now she was starting to talk like Calth. Great. 

"If the astrophysics lesson is over?..." Jeana said. Calth chuckled. 

"Yes, blondy, its over." Calth said with a wide smirk on his face. Jeana whipped off her hood. She was an attractive woman, about Lina's height, but with light brown/blonde hair and green eyes. 

"Blondy?!" she fumed. She growled. "I'll have you know I'm a _dishwater_ blonde..." 

"Well." Calth started, with an even wider smirk, "Would you rather me call you a 'mutt'?" 

That was the last straw, apparently, as Jeana started beating Calth into a pulp. Everyone sweatdropped. 

_This seems familiar..._ Gourry thought. 

When the enraged woman was over, Calth shakily stood up and composed himself. 

"Er hem. You haven't changed a bit." he started, bursting into laughter. 

Jeana looked back at him as she dusted off her hands and couldn't help but laugh out loud either. 

Lina was just about fuming. 

"Are you two done?" she asked, impatiently. 

Calth looked her way and nodded sheepishly. 

"Sorry about that." he responded with a smile. His face turned grim as he remembered what he had come here to do. 

"Everyone, I would like you to meet a very good friend of mine, Jeana Mallone. She is the Priestess of Naggarond." 

"Wait a moment.." Zel started, "I thought you said the Priest of your planet was just that..a Priest..not a Priestess." 

"Correct." Calth replied, "Jeana is the Priestess of Naggarond, the _High_ Priest is a male." 

Jeana shifted uncomfortably. 

"He is _not_ a nice man.." she said with a scowl on her face. 

Calth returned her scowl. 

"Quite." he said simply, "Now you are all here for a specific reason. You are all going to learn the ways of the Nem'Ank. Some of you will increase your magical prowess, while others will undergo physical conditioning. First though, we must meet with the Premier. Follow me, please." he turned around and headed off through a long hallway. 

Everyone followed him, taken aback by the sheer vastness of the palace they were in. It had to be a palace, or a fortress, it was just so huge. They saw many sights not alien to them, guards standing tall and proud, not moving an inch, all decked out in various kinds of armor. Some wore bright red, others wore grim black or blue. All had a wicked looking pike in their hands, with a scimitar in a sheath at their side. Zel noticed that all of them had the same haunting grey eyes as Calth. He would have to ask him about that later. 

They soon arrived arrived in front of two large double-red doors guarded by two men in jet black armor. Calth whispered something to one of them, and the guard lurched open the door for the group. He motioned with his free hand for them to enter. 

They walked slowly into the large room, and noticed all the intricacies of it. There were large pillars of white marble holding up an amazingly beautiful ceiling. It was well lit, unlike the corridor they had just been in. It was the day of the night that was Naggarond. Near the center of the room was a figure seated in a overtly large throne, dressed in a red robe surrounded by two guards in white armor. 

Calth and Jeana fell to one knee about ten or so feet away from the throne. The rest of the group shifted uncomfortably. 

"Premier, I have brought to you these...five." Calth shot a glance at Xelloss, "adventurers. Just as you asked." 

The Premier was looking down, so the group could not see his face. Zel noticed that his hair was purple, and had an oddly familiar cut. He spoke in an even more familiar voice. 

"Five? I only asked for four, my dear Paladin." he asked quietly, still looking down. 

"Yes, sir, I realize that." Calth started, "But the one in the purple robe with the matching hair insisted on coming along." I figured that we could use all the help we could get, so I did not argue with him." he bowed even lower, "If you wish, sir, I could return him to his planet." 

The Premier chuckled. Zel and Lina were starting to get frightened. Something wasn't right. This Premier guy just seemed _far_ too familiar. He stood, and slowly looked up at the group. 

"That will be fine, my dear Paladin. We do need all the help we could get." He smiled sincerely down at the group, "Hello, my old friends, it has been awhile." 

Zel thought his heart was going to stop. Lina was panting heavily. Everyone was completely awed. Rezo. Rezo, _somehow_, was alive, and the leader of an entire world. Amelia fainted. Gourry caught her before she hit the ground. 

"R-r-r-r-..." was all that Zel could sputter out. 

Rezo looked at Zel. 

"Ah, Zelgadiss, my old friend. How have you been over the years?" he asked. 

Zel stood up and gripped his hand tightly on the hilt of his sword, though it was still in its sheath. 

"Wh-what are you d-doing here?!" he asked, nearly on the verge of losing his inhibitions. 

Calth was dumbstruck. 

"What are you _doing_?!" he asked in an angry whisper, "You do _not_ threaten to draw steel on The Premier!" 

Rezo chuckled again. 

"Do not worry, Calth, they will not harm me." he starting going down the stairs from his throne, "Though it will take some explanation on my part to get them to understand what is happening." 

Lina jumped to her feet. 

"Yea, you better have a _damn_good explanation whats going on!" she cursed. 

Rezo looked at her with his cold stare. Lina shivered. She always hated Rezo's stare. She hated Rezo with a passion, not as much as Zel, for obvious reasons, but she still hated the man. His stare made her want to crawl under a rock and die. 

"I will, in due time, Lina." he said quietly, "Come." he started making his way through the bereaved party, "It is time to decide your fates." he started heading toward the large double-red doors. 

"Come on then.." he said with a smirk, "I won't bite..not this time." The guards by the doors immediately opened them for him. Rezo thanked them and walked through. Calth and Jeana stood up and followed him, dragging the stunned party behind them. Gourry carried Amelia out. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rezo led them to a corridor that had a fork in it. He stopped and looked back at the bewildered group. 

"This is where your destinies will be decided, where you will prepare for the war with Chaos, and how you will prepare." Rezo explained simply. 

"Now wait a damn minute!" Zel spoke up, "No-one decides my destiny, _especially_ not you, Rezo!" he growled. 

Rezo glanced over at Zel. 

"Zelgadiss, I know things have been difficult, and past...encounters..between us have not been civil." He explained, "But this is beyond us, trust me on this. I can assure you, all will be explained in due time." He put his hands up defensively. 

Zel growled. "Whatever..." was all he said. Amelia woke up around this time. She blushed furiously when she realized Gourry was holding her. 

"Oh my! Mr. Gourry...why are you holding me?" she asked sheepishly. 

"Wha?..Oh, sorry." Gourry promptly set her down. 

Amelia noticed Rezo again and began to tremble. 

"I-it-its R-r-rezo!" she sputtered. 

Zel put an arm around her shoulders. 

"Yes, Amelia, it is...but he hasn't tried to hurt us...yet..'' his scowl returned to Rezo. 

Amelia burried her face into Zel's chest. 

"I'm scared..." she whimpered. 

Zel patted her head, "I know.." he whispered back, then even quieter, "So am I.." 

Rezo sighed. 

"Look, I don't want to hurt anyone, and I'm not here to try and frighten you..just trust me, please? We don't have time for this, every passing moment, Karn gets stronger, and gathers more demons of Chaos for his army. We need to get this done. Alright?" he pleaded. 

Lina looked at Rezo with a cock-eyed glance. There was something about him. What was it? Sincerity? 

"Ok, Rezo." Lina finally said, "We'll play this game your way. But if anything happens to any of us, your dead. I don't care who you are." she said. 

Rezo smiled, "Fine by me. I wouldn't dare to piss off the great Lina Inverse!" he mocked. 

Lina narrowed her eyes. 

"Just shut up and get on with it." 

Rezo chuckled. 

"Alright, now to the left of me is the portal to the Hall of Light and Dark. That is where Paladins and Clerics train. To my right is the Citadel of Magic. That is where Wizards and Sorceresses learn their caste. Here is where we will decide who goes where. I'm sorry, but this is where most of you will part." 

Everyone looked at one another with pangs of sorrow. 

Rezo noticed this, and explained to them, 

"Don't worry you _will_see each other again, after we are prepared." 

The group seemed to brighten slightly at that. 

"Now...Calth, if you would step forward." 

Calth did so. 

"Calth will decide who goes with him, to the Hall of Light and Dark..do you have the coins, Calth?" 

Calth nodded and removed a few gold coins from a sack to his side. 

Everyone had confused expressions on their faces. 

Calth glanced up at Xelloss. 

"You, Xelloss..step forward.." 

Xell did so without opening his eyes. 

Calth tossed two gold coins at Xell. Xell caught them each in one hand. 

Calth looked at Rezo, then tossed another two gold coins. Xell caught them again, effortlessly, in one hand. 

"...Cleric?..." Calth inquired. 

Rezo sighed. 

"Take the four coins back, then toss them all at him." 

"Thats six coins...all in one hand? That would make him a Paladin, sir." Calth asked. 

"I know." Rezo responded. 

Calth simply sighed and shook his head. He threw all six of the coins at Xelloss. 

Xell caught two of them at once, then picked up the other four as they fell to the ground. 

Rezo smiled. 

"Paladin, my dear Calth." 

Calth smiled and responded, "Yes sir." 

Calth pointed to his left. 

"That way, Xelloss. Your a Paladin, now." 

"I'm thrilled." Xell said with a trickster smile. 

Calth sweatdropped. _The Masters are going to have a grand time with him..._ he thought as he headed off down the corridor. 

"Next." Calth asked. 

Lina stepped forward. 

"Ok, so what do I have to do?" 

"The same." Calth responded, and tossed two gold coins at her. 

Lina caught them. 

Calth repeated the same process with Xelloss, then threw all six at her. She stumbled and dropped half of them. 

Calth chuckled. 

"Your a Sorceress Lina." 

"Well, duh..." she replied. She started off, then stopped. 

"Can, I ..uh..say goodbye to everyone first? Or stay here till we all get done?" she asked. 

Calth shrugged, "Don't see why not." 

"Next." Rezo asked. 

Amelia stepped forward. 

Calth repeated the same process with her, but Amelia dropped the first two coins. 

"Your definetly a Sorceress." he said with a wink. 

Amelia blushed, "Oh my...thank you Mr. Calth!" she scurried over to Lina, trying to avoid Rezo at all costs. 

Calth did the same test to all the members. Zelgadiss caught all six coins, but he had to use both hands. Calth pronounced him a Cleric. Then Gourry stepped forward. Calth threw the coins at him. Gourry caught them easily. He withdrew all the coins, then threw the six at him. He caught them with one hand, then yawned. Calth's eyes went wide. 

"Hnn...Premier?" He asked. 

"Yes, Calth?" he replied. 

"Shall I...do the knife test?" he asked sheepishly. Everyone tensed. "The Knife Test"? That did _not_ sound good. 

"...If you are positive.." Rezo replied. 

Calth nodded and drew four small knives from his back pocket. 

"Ok...try and catch these..if you get wounded..the Clerics will heal you." 

Gourry gulped. 

"Ok.." he said. 

Calth threw all the knives at him. Lina clenched her teeth. 

Gourry caught three of the knives with one hand. The other one imbedded itself in a wall behind him. 

Gourry frowned. 

"Darn...missed one." he said. 

Calth sputtered. 

"Could he be.. Mau'Rau?" 

Rezo narrowed his eyes. 

"Yes..he is.." 

Calth composed himself. 

"You know what this means sir?" 

"Yes..it means he is the one who will turn the tide in the war with Chaos. Its just that which side he turns it for, is unknown at the moment. But it is not completely certain. This was only a knife test. There are many more tests ahead for him" Rezo said with grim honesty. 

"Uhm....." Gourry started sheepishly. 

He help up his hands. The gold coins and the knives were in the same hand. 

"Can I keep the coins?" he asked. 

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Sylphiel wiped her hand across her forehead, and flung sweat to the ground. It was hot. It was _very _hot. She sighed and lifted her basket with vegetables in it. She had spent most of her water trying to keep her garden watered, and even then, most of her food was dying. She feared she might have to move into town. 

She headed into her small cottage and wiped a cold, damp washcloth across her face and neck. It felt very relieving. She gazed outside and looked off into the distance. There was a slight orange tint over the mountains in the distance. 

_Some farmer must have his field on fire, the poor soul. I wonder if I should go and help?_ she pondered. She dismissed the thought when a hot breeze smacked her in the face. It was just too hot to travel. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Everyone was headed in different directions, it seemed. Long goodbyes were said, and hugs were passed around from all members of the group. Soft words were spoken between Lina and Gourry, and Amelia snuggled into Zel. They didn't know whether they would see one another again. 

"I promise." Rezo started, being able to read their minds it seemed, "You will see one another again. When we return to your planet, in two years." 

"Two years?!" Everyone almost screeched in unison. 

Rezo winced. 

"Two years of Naggarond time are only four days of your time. Do not be so upset! You will see one another again, but two years is the amount of time we will require for your...preparation." Rezo said softly. 

Everyone nodded solemnly, still not quite sure what to say or do in this situation. 

Amelia suddenly jumped. 

"Oh _no_!" she screeched, "I forgot to tell my papa about Karn!" she looked teary eyed into Calth's eyes. 

"What will happen? How will he know?" she asked, in a quivering voice. 

Calth patted the young girl's head. 

"Do not worry, young one. Your father and his people will know of the impending threat eventually. Remember, we are only gone four days on your world. I doubt even Karn could amass an army in four days." 

"Yes, I agree with Calth. Not even Karn could summon an army in four days time. Your people will be fine." Rezo lied. He knew that Karn would have a sizable army in four days. He was a God. He could just wave his fingers a bit, and the entire Chaos army could come marching through some sick portal of blood. But Karn would not do that. He would revel in the suffering of the people of that tiny planet. "Earth". 

"We must now begin...please? I know this is hard, but it must be done." Rezo said. 

"Wait a moment." Zel hesitated. "You said you were going to answer our question. Why are you here? Why are you helping us? And just..." Zel huffed, "Why?" 

Rezo chuckled deeply. 

"My dear Zelgadiss...that is more than a _question_. You asked three question_s_." Rezo smirked. 

Zel shifted with anger. 

"Oh, whatever, just answer the damn _questions_!" he growled. 

Rezo laghed openly, 

"Same old Zelgadiss." he said simply. 

"Very well" Rezo started, "I will answer any questions you may have. Now..for the first one. The reason why I'm here is..quite complicated. But if you wish to hear it, I will tell you. When Lina destroyed me...well, Shabrandingo...all those many months ago, I was sent to the Sea of Chaos, where I spent what seemed like an eternity of pain and torment. Then.._she_ appeared.." Rezo's eyes narrowed considerably, "She appeared to me in what seemed like a dream..she had golden locks of long, beautiful hair, and her body was perfect. Her bangs were drooped over her eyes. I will never forget her, though. She seemed to be staring right through me, even if I couldn't see her eyes. She then extended her hand..and I tentatively accepted it. When we touched, my world instantly went white with pain, and then something dawned on me. That pain, that was the all the pain I had caused, rolled up into one collection of pure magic. I realized that what I did was wrong. Everything I had done in the past was wrong. Apparently, I passed out. When I awoke, I found myself on a completely new world, with a completely new life. I was the Premier of Naggarond, the most powerful position of the planet. I was charged with protecting everyone and everything on the planet. In my head, a single, gorgeous voice proclaimed something to me..._You have a second chance..do not waste it._" 

Rezo stopped and cleared something out of his eye. 

"Thats the reason why I'm here." he said shakily. "Have you any more questions, Zelgadiss?" 

Zel just stood there, with his mouth agape at what Rezo had told him. 

"N-no.." he said in a small voice. 

"Then let us be on our way." He turned and headed down the right corridor. 

Zel watched him go, and wiped a small tear away from his eye, finally allowing himself to show a hint of remorse for the poor bastard. 

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End of Chapter 6 


	7. Faceless Man

Slayers: Chaos

Faceless Man

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Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers etc etc etc….boy feels good to be back! X.x" Warning: This fic contains graphic language/violence/sexual explicit content. You have been warned.

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"So tell me…" Zelgadiss started as he walked down the left corridor, "Why do those guards all have the same eyes as you, Calth?"

Calth glanced over at Zel and replied,

"Because my friend, they are all paladins."

Zel's eyes widened. 

"_All_ of them?"

"Yes.." Calth replied, "All of them."

Zel stared at the floor for the rest of the journey.

__

What am I getting myself into?…

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"Ugh! I still can't believe that I'm not gonna see anyone for two years…" Lina said, putting her arms behind her head.

"…Hey." Amelia piped in, "You'll see me Lina-chan…"

Lina sweat-dropped.

"Uh..yea, well..you know…none of our guy friends." She smiled innocently.

"Yea…I'm gonna miss Zel."

"I'm gonna miss Gourry." Lina said softly.

"…"

"…"

Both the girls chuckled nervously and Rezo sweat-dropped ahead of them, leading them further down the dim hallway.

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Xelloss was staring…as much as he could without opening his eyes…at the marvel before him. The quote, "the light at the end of the tunnel" didn't nearly give justice to what he was seeing. The dark, dreary, damp halls behind him were a completely different world from the shining, bright, grass-filled plains of this new place. Near the middle stood a tall, perfectly erected citadel. It seemed to reach into the heavens. It also seemed impossible, though. He was _inside_, so why the hell was it so bright? And how could grass grow? And how was there a sky?…Questions he would ask the paladin, once he arrived. Xell did not have to wait long.

Calth, with Gourry and Zel tagging behind him, slightly shielded his eyes from the light. Zel and Gourry, apparently, showed the same reaction to the amazing place as Xelloss did.

Calth appeared and stretched his arms, basking in the warm glow that left a scowl on Xelloss' face. Calth glanced over at the irritated Mazoku.

"This place not to your liking?" he asked with a slight smirk.

Xell scowled.

"I'm not used to it, that's all…" he replied.

"Well, get used to it, Mazoku, you'll be spending quite a bit of time here."

Xell scowled deeper.

"Right."

"Ok then. Shall we make our way into the hall?" Calth asked, extended a hand towards the citadel.

Zelgadiss and Gourry started out, but Xelloss spoke up before they got far.

"Hold on, now. I have a few questions I would like to ask our newly acquired ally." Xell said, the mischievousness back in his voice.

Calth crossed his arms. It was his turn to scowl.

"Very well." he started, "What is it you have to ask?"

"Well, _first_ off…how in damnation did you get this place in here? Why is it…so…bright..and what is with that castle?" Xell pointed to the tall spires in front of him.

"Well, to answer your questions." Calth began, "This place was created using Light magic, which, obviously, is why it is so bright here. The citadel you are pointing to is the Hall of Light and Dark, and that is where you will be trained." Calth stated.

Xell smiled, hiding the annoyance he was feeling.

"Yes, well, those were simple questions. And simple questions are answered by simple people." he stated matter-of-factly.

"No, Xelloss Mettalium. There _are_ no simple questions. Only ones with so little relevance, the weak minded see them as simple." Calth answered.

With that, he spun around on his heel and left a near slack-jawed Xelloss behind for a few paces. The trickster priest had his taunt turned right back around in his face, something that rarely happened to him. Xelloss did _not_ like Calth.

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Calth entered the hall, and the place was even more well lit. He made his way through hordes of jeering people, smiling children, and priests and nuns assisting those who needed it. People soon noticed the newcomers, and began to applaud immediately. Calth smiled and sheepishly held up his hands. Gourry, Xelloss and Zel exchanged very odd looks with one another. Calth somehow sensed this, and turned around to whisper to his bewildered comrades.

"These are the acolytes. They are Paladins and Clerics in training, as well as a few of the more talented citizens of Naggarond. They come from all over, not just the upper class or rich, but the poor or average as well. Anyone can serve Nem'Ank. Anyone." he explained.

Zel blinked for a moment. "I see." he said, surprised.

Calth led the three newcomers through the crowd, and they were met with pats on the back, and praises from many differing languages. Calth stepped up on a podium and with a wave of his hand, silenced the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Nem'Ank, I give to you three new Paladin acolytes that are _very_ special. They are special because they are not from our world. They have been brought from the planet called Earth, and like the rest of you, will train to fight the evil that will soon envelop the galaxy." Calth was obviously talking about Karn, and apparently he was quite infamous here. 

"Now, if you will let us pass through the main hall, so we can our new acolytes accustomed to they're new home, I would much appreciative." 

The crowd split down the center, a path leading to a corridor that led to many rooms with a guard in blue armor with a large pike guarding each door. Calth stepped off the podium and returned to Xelloss, Zelgadiss, and Gourry.

"Those are the training rooms." Calth explained, "Where you will be spending the majority of your time."

Calth led the beyond confused mazoku, chimera, and human down the pathway.

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Rezo clunked his staff against a large stone door, and it slowly slid open, leading the way to a large arena like structure. He then turned around and faced Lina and Amelia.

"This is the Mage guild." he stated simply, slowly walking inside the arena. Lina and Amelia quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind in this strange place.

The "arena" was really a large mass of rooms that surrounded an empty field. Near the North and South of the field were two large columns, one on the north, one to the south. Humans..or at least humanoids…were rushing about the stories of rooms, and some rode on dragon like creatures across the field to the other side of the arena. Lina noticed the differing colors of robes. Many wore simple blue or black, while others wore more elaborate gold or silver. Rezo suddenly wheeled around on one foot.

"Now, I will not be training you. I have more pressing matters to attend to for the moment. You two will be coming under Arch Magi Dvinn Reala, and he will get your…casting abilities…up to par." Rezo said.

Lina starting fuming.

"_'Up to par_'?!" she yelped, "Did you forget or something Rezo? I'm the most powerful sorceress on Earth!"

Rezo glanced at Lina.

"Not quite the most powerful, and we're not on Earth, are we?" he said with a small smile at the red-faced Lina.

"Now, you must bid me adu, I will see you in two years." With that, Rezo vanished.

"Bah! Good riddance!" Lina exclaimed. "Now…where is this guy at?"

"Erm…right here, Ms. Inverse." a distinctly male voice said behind her. Lina turned around and saw a handsome…a very handsome …young looking man with slightly pointed ears in a white robe with gold circles near the chest. He bowed sheepishly.

"How rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Dvinn Reala. Just call me Dvinn."

"Er. Ok Devin." Lina replied.

"Its ..erm, Dvinn."

"That's what I said, Denim!" Lina explained with a small sweat drop on her forehead.

Dvinn sweat dropped. It was going to be a _long_ ass two years.

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Rezo was just about pissed.

"Listen, you tree hugging, harpy!" he fumed, "If Karn gets past us, who do you think he'll come for next? Hn?" his hands were starting to shake a little.

Holly Mistwinder, the Sword Saint, the leader of the Zealots Of the Light Forest, sat on her wooden throne looking at the Premier.

"I'm sorry." she cooed in that damnable beautiful voice of hers, "But Z.O.L.F will not help you. Karn is your problem, not ours. Take your pleas elsewhere, Premier." she said with a grim sense of finality.

"But Karn would as soon destroy you as me! Listen to your ranting, woman!" Rezo stood up and was now openly yelling at her.

Holly stood up off her throne.

"You do _not_ yell at me like some bar tavern wench." Blue light danced around her eyes. "Understand?"

Rezo calmed down and turned and started walking away.

"I understand perfectly, Holly." Rezo grimly stated, "That you don't give a damn about your subjects."

Holly hissed at him.

"That's it, Premier. From this day forth, you are now an enemy of this grove. Do not show your face again."

Rezo smiled darkly.

"So be it. I always knew we shared an open hatred for one another. Our ideals are just to different. Pity." He turned to face her.

"But know this, Sword Saint." Rezo started, "When your children are lying dead in the street, when your women are screaming for their men…their fathers, their husbands and brothers…to be shown mercy, only to be brutally murdered by Karn's demons. Do _not_ come to me for aid, or to anyone else on Naggarond. You are now an enemy of mine as well."

With that, Rezo teleported to his main hall.

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Calth had already shown Xelloss and Gourry to they're respective dorms. Only Zelgadiss remained.

"Where do I go?" he asked.

"You…you follow me." he motioned to follow him.

Zel shrugged and did so.

Calth led Zelgadiss down another hallway…this place seemed to be made up of nothing but halls…to a large room(!) where many other people were practicing different arts of fighting. Some wielded maces, staves, or other blunt like weapons while others cast powerful looking spells at summoned creatures that would explode in a puff of purple haze when they were defeated. Others practiced healing the wounded.

"What is this place?" Zel asked.

"It is the hall where clerics train. You are going to become a cleric. As for me, I have to take my leave, and return to train Xelloss and Gourry. I'll see you in two years, Zelgadiss. Good luck." He waved goodbye with a two-finger salute, and teleported away, leaving a rather bewildered Zelgadiss Greywords behind.

A few moments after Calth disappeared, a large burly man approached Zel.

__

Oh my… the Chimera thought _…is this going to end up being painful?_ He sweat dropped.

He glanced Zel up and down for a minute or two, then loudly laughed and said,

"Well well well..seems Calth left me someone who's so scared, 'ey's turned blue, 'ey has!"

Zel sweat dropped larger.

"No, I always look like this." He replied.

The big man chuckled and clapped Zel on the back, causing him to lose balance and cough a little. God he had a strong right arm.

"My name be Roth…yers?" he said.

"Zel-Zelgadiss." 

"Well, 'Zel-Zelgadiss', welcome to the world of clerical magic…"

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__

Approximately two Naggarond years later…

Xelloss was levitating a few feet off the ground with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. He yawned loudly. And he got the response he knew would happen.

"Stay awake, Xelloss.." came Calth's annoyed reply. 

The ex-Mazoku turned Paladin couldn't help but smirk. 

"Yes master Calth."

"This is important, Xell." Calth scolded him, "You know that you must meditate for an hour a day, every other day to control the tempest of power that's in you." Calth rubbed his temple.

"This is why I didn't want to train you, Mazoku. Your dark side still is very existent, and the power of Nem'Ank would tear you apart, physically and mentally, if you did not do this." Calth got up from his chair and rapped Xelloss across the back of the head.

"So just do it, so we can finally finish your training!"

Xelloss 'hmphed', and opened one eye pointing off to the side.

"And why doesn't _he_ have to do this again?"

Xelloss was pointing at a flying Gourry, who was doing elaborate back flips in the air while expertly dispatching a few flying illusion-monsters with his glowing Nem'Ank sword.

"Gourry!" Calth barked.

Gourry came to a rough halt upside down and flew….straight into a wall.

Calth sighed and with a wave of his hand, the rest of the illusions disappeared. He then turned his attention back to Xelloss.

"Because unlike you, he is not a Mazoku!"

"Oh, of course." Xelloss said, his never dying trickster grin returning to his face. "How could I be so foolish?"

Calth was twitching. He really did not like that smile.

"Alright, you finish up meditating, and you." Calth pointed to a swirly eyed Gourry. "Just…try not to break anything?"

"Uh..ok!" Was Gourry's perky reply.

Calth sighed again and headed for the door.

"Master Calth?" Gourry called after him.

"Yes Gourry?" came the reply.

"Where are you going?"

Calth coughed loudly and almost lost his balance.

"I already told you! I'm going back to your planet to warn its inhabitants! You two need to finish up this last weeks worth of training, then you can return home!" Calth had a vein bulging from his head. God, these two were impossible! 

Gourry blinked innocently, as if trying to remember if Calth _had_ actually told him. His golden aura flared down, and his naturally blonde hair simply returned to its normal position. Xelloss couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. Every time Gourry transformed, he always looked like a porcupine the way his hair would stick out in every possible direction. Calth had almost had a conniption trying to get Gourry to cut it. Gourry, of course, didn't.

"Ok, well, we'll see you in a week or so then?" Gourry asked.

"Yes, Gourry." Calth said.

"So does this mean me and Xelloss are Paladins now?"

"Not quite, but almost. Once I return, you will go through the final procedure. Alright?"

"No prob!" Gourry replied.

With that, Calth went outside, shut the door, and proceeded to face-vault into the nearest table before teleporting to Earth.

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End file.
